Festivals and beer go hand in hand – and the wait in line for the nearest port-o-potty is usually a long one. To address the issue, French design firm Faltazi[2] has created the Uritonnoir – a straw bale-like urinal that turns urine into nutrient-rich compost.

[3]

The big bale of straw may look more appropriate for a farm yard than a music festival, but Faltazi outfits each bale with a plastic funnel and receptacle system, with urinals[4] spaced comfortably enough around the hay. The funnel channels the incoming urine away from its donor’s sneakers and pant legs, and into the center of the straw bale, where the nitrogen begins to mesh with the carbon of the hay. Around six to twelve months later, the decomposition process will have meshed the two together enough to create a rich mound of compostable humus.

L’Uritonnoir comes as a flat, easily shippable polypropylene sheet, that folds and is threaded around the straw bale to create the pop-up urinal. The funnels are fed into the bale’s center, and there you have it- a composting urinal[5]. There’s even a “higher end” version that comes in stainless steel.

Not only does L’Uritonnoir provide a faster place to pee, but it also brings awareness to festival goers of the simplicity of upcycling[6] and composting. After a “dry run” this season at French metal festival “Hellfest[7]”, Faltazi wants to include planters thriving with pee-compost the next year, as a shining example of festival goers’ donations.